As an artist, Michael Franti has run the gamut from politically conscious hip-hop to a passionate blend of soul, hip-hop and R&B. But what “An artist should be someone who’s sticking it to the man,” Kate Nash explains emphatically. “It’s about rebellion. It’s about your mom being like ‘turn that down’ and you slamming the door and being like ‘whatever, I need this music to help me get through my emotions!’” The 22-year-old singer has always had strong opinions but in the months since the 2008 release of her smash debut Made of Bricks, she’s found a new kind of fierceness in expressing them. After a whirlwind rise-to-fame that involved multiple world tours and more than a million albums sold, Nash is back with her sophomore effort, My Best Friend Is You. “I went from being really young and naïve and positive, like ‘oh my god I love life, everything is so fun, to being like ‘I hate the world, everyone’s shit, I want to die,’” Nash says of her ride to the top. “My Best Friend Is You is about trying to find a happy middle.”

Born and raised in London, Nash started playing music as a kid, but her creative interests didn’t stop there. She studied theater at the BRIT School for Performing Arts and Technology. Nash was contemplating a future as an actor when, after a freak fall down a flight of stairs, she found herself temporarily housebound with a broken leg. To ease her boredom during recovery, the singer’s mom bought her an electric guitar and songwriting became her obsession. After playing a few local gigs, Nash started uploading her music to MySpace. The response was immediate and overwhelming. By spring of 2007 the singer and songwriter had a record deal, and by the summer her debut album Made of Bricks was wreaking havoc on the UK charts. She played the entire UK festival circuit, including Reading and Leeds, and made her TV debut on Later with Jools Holland.